Once while working at a charity event to help raise money, I helped a friend out by selling t-shirts for the benefit. I’ve never really seen myself as much of a sales person, but since I really believed in their product and the charity, I figured it should not be too difficult. For years of working in Accounts Receivable, and Collections, I knew the best way to attract people to your product was to build rapport, so anyone that stopped by my table I immediately struck up a conversation with them.
I looked for something in each person that I could connect with. For one woman it was a unique pair of airplane earrings (I’m an incredible fan of earrings and airplanes; so this woman’s earrings really got my attention). We talked for a while and I found out that she made them. This instantly brought our conversation to our shared interest in jewelry making. This turns out to be one of my hobbies for years. I carried on for hours meeting and greeting many wonderful people, but not really making too many sales.
Then some two hours later a young woman walked over really looking over our merchandise carefully. I diligently kept my distance as I did not want her thinking that I was pushing her or crowding her. I simply let her know if she needs any help of any sort, I’d be available. When it looked like she was going to leave, I asked if anything in particular looked interesting. She told me that she really liked a bunch of the t-shirts, but the one all the vendors at the tables were wearing was the one she liked the best. She asked me if I’d be willing to sell my shirt and then she would buy one of the other shirts we had for sale.
I should mention that for this charity event, the company I was working with was the one who made all the t-shirts for the volunteers & vendors at this affair. I thought the tees were a pretty nifty ad for this charity, and I could see why this customer really wanted one. The charity organizers arranged so that all the volunteers and vendors who worked at this function were given this t-shirt for free when they showed up that morning to work (the shirt served as both a uniform and ad all in one).
In my haste to not lose that sale, I gave the woman my volunteer t-shirt and sold her another product from our table for a total of $30.00. I was ecstatic at my sale, when I heard a volunteer a couple tables down talking to another vendor. He mentioned to that other vendor what he saw me do, and advised the vendor: “watch out for that one, she’s shady.”
I was appalled, in an instant I had ruined my reputation and that of the company I was representing, all for the sale of $30.00. I realized that I lost way more than I had gained. I had lost sight, that to acquire a quick sale today; I had perhaps cost this company many future sales. However more disturbing was the trust and the respect lost in that quick sale.
It was then that I understood that it is better to make a customer for life than an immediate sale now.
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